Someday Soon You Might Understand
by JMolover13
Summary: Emma and Regina are put together via means of my own character, Norma Winston and her cat Benjamin.


**Anonymous asked you: can you please do another installment of norma winston with swanqueen? thanks**

**AN: So… It seems the longer I spend on fics, the longer they become… Which makes sense I suppose… But I've been working on this one for the past few weeks… So… it's one of my longer ones. Also, I wasn't sure how you were wanting it, so instead of continuing one of the fics I have with Norma, I made a completely new one. Hope you enjoy Anon!**

Emma was walking down the street hoping to catch a certain Mayor Mills coming or going from the mansion when she ran into a certain resident that quickly captured her heart. She noticed that her favorite citizen was lacking her walker and had chosen a cane, a fancy cane. It had blue, pink and orange flowers all over including the handle.

"Well, well, Miss Norma! Who's eye are you trying to catch? If it's mine, you know you had me at, 'Are you one of those lesbians?'" Emma laughed as she walked up to Norma Winston and gave the woman her arm for the non-caned hand.

"Eh? What are you talking about?" Norma gladly took Emma's arm.

Emma smiled and leaned into the older woman, "Your cane is so fancy, Norma… What happened to the walker?"

"Oh…" She shook her head and looked at Emma with a disgusted face, "I didn't want to use that thing today. I have a meeting with the Mayor."

"A meeting with the Mayor?" Emma gave the old woman a look, "Well what the hell did you do?"

Norma grinned wickedly, "I didn't do a thing…"

Emma eyed her, "Uh huh… I believe that."

"I'm not in trouble, Sheriff. Not too much anyways. I'm sure she wants to tell me to keep my cat, Benjamin inside…"

"Benjamin? Not Ben or Benny?"

Norma scrunched her face, "Oh, he hates those…"

The blonde nodded along, hiding the smirk, "So, Norma, why would the Mayor be concerned with Benjamin?"

"He might go up her tree every so often…" She said as they neared the front path of the Mayor's mansion.

"Get down!" They heard.

They both turned their heads to see a fluffy white cat stretching out on a limb, his tail whooshing cockily from side to side.

"You stupid cat! I will end you!" Regina yelled.

Emma laughed, "Norma… is that Benjamin?"

"It might be." She smirked and looked over to Emma's surprised expression, "Oh Sheriff… the Mayor _needs_ Benjamin to climb her tree."

"Why's that?" Emma eyed her as they walked closer.

"Someday soon…" The old woman trailed off.

"Someday soon?"

"Someday soon you might understand." She gave Emma a smile.

Emma shook her head as they closed in on the tree, "Madam Mayor?"

Regina turned around, broom in hand from trying to bat the cat out of the tree unsuccessfully. "Yes Sheriff?" She 'calmly' took the broom and put it to the ground to look as casual as possible before she glared at the old lady, "I am sick of this, Norma Winston. I will put that damn cat down the next time I get my hands on it!"

"Oh you will not, Madam Mayor." Norma said confidently.

"I won't?" Regina raised a brow in challenge.

"Of course not. Benjamin will be your favorite thing one day."

"Why?"

"Someday soon…. You might understand." She smiled then turned to Emma, "Sheriff? Make yourself useful?"

"But I'm super allergic to pet dander—Oh!" Emma caught the look that Norma gave her and the squeeze of her arm, "Alright!"

See, after Norma asked her if she was one of those lesbians, and after Emma's fish out of water reaction, Norma asked her about the Mayor… and from then on, Norma became her favorite resident in Storybrooke.

The blonde grabbed the Mayor's arm and replaced herself with the Mayor, so Norma still had an arm to hold onto. She walked to the tree and grabbed onto the branch. Immediately she wished that her hands were as tough as they used to be when she would climb trees to escape… She knew they were going to be scraped by the end of this.

"I don't know why I'm allowing you of all people near my tree."

Emma turned her head and gave her a wink, "Come on, Madam Mayor… We're passed all that…." She pulled herself up a branch and looked at the cat, "Okay Benny. Don't make this harder than it has to be."

Benjamin, up on all fours cocked his head almost in challenge. As soon as Emma got close to him he jumped over to another, higher branch. This pattern continued about four more times before Emma couldn't move any higher.

"Come on, Benny… This isn't nice…. You stupid fucking cat." Emma mumbled the last part under her breath.

Benjamin had a Cheshire twinkle to his eye and as Emma took one more risky step to the cat, he darted passed her hand, down the tree and around Norma's legs, rubbing himself against her ankles happily.

Emma glared down at the cat, "Are you fucking kidding me?!" She yelled angrily before a sneeze came from her throat.

"Sheriff. Language." Regina scolded while she watched intently as the blonde came down from the tree.

Emma jumped from the lowest branch with a huff, "My apologies, Madam Mayor. How dare I willingly jump into a tree to get a cat down and save your sanity all the while knowing that I will be sneezing and congested the rest of the day." She bowed low, showing the brunette the full extent of her sarcasm. When she looked up, the only thing she could give to the look she was getting from the mayor was a grin that was ever so cocky while she rubbed the bark and dirt from her hands. She felt how raw they had become from the tree, but didn't let either woman know that her palms were on fire.

Regina dropped Norma's hand and took a step closer to Emma. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She settled for a staring—more of a glaring contest on her end.

Norma looked between the two women. She looked at Emma's hands, remembering from when she was young how scraped up she would get climbing trees. She smirked as she thought of the possibilities, "Well Madam Mayor, if we're done here…" Norma turned around and started walking, Benjamin at her side, dutifully staying with his master. "Good man, Benjamin."

Emma pulled from the stare first, seeing Norma walking away, "Miss Norma, you need an escort home?" Emma called after her.

"I'm alright dear. You should get your hands checked out." Norma turned and gave the blonde a look, "I'm sure the Mayor has a great big first-aid kit and can help you with those nasty scrapes." She gestured to Emma's hands.

Regina looked to them as well and knit her brows as she only saw Emma's fists quickly being stuffed into pockets, "Sheriff…"

"Yes Reg-Madam Mayor?" Emma turned her head even though she was still looking at the old woman walking away from her.

"Let's see your hands." She said in her mom voice.

Emma reluctantly pulled her hands from her pants, and showed her the scrapes that resembled road rash.

"Good God." Regina stepped forward and took one of her hands, examining it.

"It's fine." Emma pulled her hand back.

"Obviously." She glanced over at the now small figure of Norma Winston's retreating back.

"It is." She stuffed her hands back in her pockets and took a couple steps back. She stared at the big brown eyes that had secretly captured her entirely and gave a small smile, "Well. Have a nice day Madam Mayor."

"Wait." Regina stopped her, "Did you come here for something specific?"

Emma looked to the side, "Nope. I uh… I just came to check in. I've done that, so…" She started to walk away again.

"At least let me clean your hands…" The brunette insisted.

The blonde pursed her lips, eyeing the other woman and nodded after a moment.

"Good." Regina turned and led Emma up to the house.

Emma let the woman take about five steps before she followed. _I would gladly walk behind her if I could watch that sway forever…_ She thought. She then felt like punching herself in the face because she felt so stupid for even thinking it. _God damn it… I'm Donny Osmond in Puppy Love._

Once inside, Regina gestured for the blonde to sit in a chair at the kitchen table. She went out of the room for a few minutes getting what she was needing to clean the scrapes. She came back in and set the Hydrogen Peroxide on the table.

Emma immediately scraped the chair against the tile as she scooted back and hit the window behind her, "You know…" She stared at the bottle, "I'm good actually, so I'll just leave."

Regina eyed her, "Are you scare of a little Hydrogen Peroxide, Sheriff?"

Emma nodded adamantly, "Hell yes! I can't handle the stinging!" She stood and started for the back door.

"Emma Swan." Regina said in that mom voice.

The blonde stamped her foot in frustration and turned around, "Don't full name me in the mom voice! That's just as bad as middle naming me!" Emma stomped back to the chair and plopped down, throwing her arms out to the brunette and turning away, hiding in her hair.

"What is your middle name?" Regina asked, trying to make the blonde forget.

"Don't really had one… all that was on my baby blanket was 'Emma'. No note. They gave me a last name."

"Well… if they gave you a last name then they should have given you a middle name."

Emma sighed heavily for a long moment, then nodded, "Fine. You caught me. They did… I don't like it though…"

"What is it?"

"What's yours?"

"Maria."

"Regina Maria." Emma turned her head finally, "It rhymes-ish and that's fun."

"Your turn." She said with a twinkle in her eye.

"It's lllmmmfd." Emma dove into her sleeve and mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Louise."

"Emma Louise." The brunette began smiling, still with that twinkle in her eye.

Emma lost her breath as she looked at one Regina Mills. That smile… It punched her in the face so hard, it knocked her out. She looked away from the brunette and nodded.

"I think it's lovely." Regina smiled as she finished up cleaning Emma's hands, "There you go… I don't know if you want me to cover it, or—"

"No… God no, that would be ridiculous for a little raspberry, err… tree..." Emma knit her brows. "I used to get 'em all the time." She shrugged, "Thanks though." She stood up and walked to the backdoor.

"Emma?"

"Yeah?" The blonde turned back around.

"You just came by to check up on me?"

"Yeah… I haven't seen you today, so…" She gestured to nothing, letting her know that she didn't have an end to her sentence.

"Thank you…" Regina tilted her head a bit and smiled.

Emma reached for the door and walked out.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Three months later Emma had climbed the tree God knows how many times… sometimes she'd have to climb it twice a day because of that damn cat. She'd learned in the first couple weeks that she was not as agile as she was when she was ten, but she became so agile and quick that she was to Benjamin's go-to branch before the cat himself. Not knowing what to do, Benjamin paused his climbing only to realize he was sliding down. Emma gave the cat a look that told him that if he scratched the tree, she wasn't going to be responsible for what Regina did to him. He quickly pushed off the tree and scampered back to Miss Norma Winston's house.

"Emma Swan – 1, Benjamin - …" She slumped a little, "Like 937…" She swung out of the tree onto the ground and dusted herself off.

"Sheriff Swan."

Emma turned at her name, "Madam Mayor?" She walked up to the back porch of the mayoral mansion to meet the brunette where she stood.

"I wanted to ask if I could cook you a dinner in thanks for the Benjamin issue… I know that it's silly and stupid for me to fixate so much on a damn cat, but you have swallowed your sarcasm and dealt with it for me… I'd really like to do something for you…"

"You wanna make me dinner?" Emma squinted and cocked her head.

"Word on the street is the sheriff loves a home-cooked meal…"

"Word on the street?" Emma smiled and nodded along, "I do love a home-cooked meal… In fact I remember telling Henry about that not too long ago…" She crossed her arms.

Regina smiled to tell her that she had indeed asked their son to ask her, "So would you like my thank you, or not?"

"No, I want the thank you." Emma smiled, "When should I be here?"

"Tonight?" Regina was surprised.

"Well yeah…"

"Henry won't be here for dinner, he's going to a birthday slumber party…"

"Well…" Emma thought for a moment then looked back at the brunette, "What time should I be here tonight for your thank you to me for keeping that damn cat out of your tree? And what time should I be here tomorrow for your extended thank you for keeping that damn cat out of your tree?"

Regina's face lit up, "Oh, so you think you should get two meals, do you?"

"Hell yes… Do you know how many times I've been up and down that tree? I have muscles that I didn't realize existed!" Emma's eyes were wide with excitement and her smile was contagious.

Literally contagious, Regina was smiling as she watched the woman before her get excited. She pursed her lips to compose herself, "Alright," She started and folded her arms, "How about six tonight and seven tomorrow?"

Emma checked her phone, "Alright… I'll be back in an hour." She smiled and turned from the brunette, "See you later, Madam Mayor." She smirked, _That kind of rhymes… The hell's with me and rhyming lately?_

~0~0~0~0~0~

Mary Margaret walked into Emma's room, "Hey what were you thinking for dinner tonigh—Where are you going?" The black-haired woman leaned against the doorframe of her roommate's room. She had an eager smile on her face when she saw Emma fiddling with the top button on her black button up shirt.

The blonde turned around, "Is zero, one or two buttons appropriate?"

Mary Margaret looked at her, "Depends… what's happening?"

"Dinner with the Mayor."

"OH!" Mary Margaret's eyes opened wide then squinted in disgust, "Uhh… One is fine… It's not choking you and you're not giving away the farm… The mayor would love to harp on you for that…" She laughed then looked down to see the rest of Emma's outfit, "Although I think the basketball shorts will give her enough to talk about…" She tried to hold in her giggle, so she covered her mouth.

Emma gave the other woman a sharp glance at her through her mirror. She unbuttoned the top button and bit her lip. She shook her head, "Fuck it." She went to her closet and came back out in dark charcoal skinnies, black chucks, blue suspenders that hung around her waist, and her blue leather jacket. She went back to her mirror and flipped her hair.

"Where did you get those suspenders?" Mary Margaret knit her brows.

"A friend back in Jersey gave them to me… She's a fancy doctor now; works for the best diagnostician in the country." She offered for no real reason except she thought that Mary Margaret should know that her life wasn't all terrible and in the process she did meet good people… She always felt like M&M babied her to show her that there is good in the world… She wanted to subtly let the woman know that she had had friends before, it'd just been a long ass time…

"You really seem to be going all out…" The black haired woman observed.

Emma turned to her, "Yeah, well… Regina's making me dinner—"

"Regina?" Mary Margaret's eyes went wide, "_Regina _is making you dinner?"

Emma knit her brows, "In thanks for keeping Benjamin out of her tree…" She spoke slowly for the other.

The black haired woman shook her head, "Since when do you call her Regina… Since when does anyone call her Regina?"

Emma realized her mistake, "Uhh… I do it to piss her off…" She tried to dart passed her roommate.

"Oh my gosh." Mary Margaret followed her down the spiral staircase.

When Emma turned around to look at her, Mary Margaret's eyes were wide, her jaw was on the ground, and she was pointing at the blonde. Emma knew she was in for it, but tried to play it off, "What?"

"You like her!"

Emma's face contorted, "Pfff, hhh, pfff, hhh, pfff, pshh, pfff, hh, fff—What?! No I don't." She waved it off.

"Yes you do! You like her! You like her so hard!" She laughed at the blonde.

"Nooooooo." Emma was getting her bearings back, "I tolerate her for Henry…"

"Henry won't be there tonight." Mary Margaret crossed her arms.

Emma turned bright red and stared at her, eyes wide, "How the hell did you know that?!"

"I'm his teacher… The sleepover is all the boys could talk about…" She zeroed in on Emma, "So you're going over there alone. To eat dinner with Regina… _alone_… Are you going to try anything?"

"What?!"

"Are you going to try anything with her?" Mary Margaret was quite calm, "Because personally, I think you would be doing us all a favor… I mean, who knows how long it's been for her? No wonder she's such a bitc—so uptight." She coughed a little to cover her almost curse.

"Alright!" Emma said frustrated. She waved her hand up and down with a flourish, "That's enough."

"Well are you?"

"That's enough!" Emma ran to the door and out of the apartment.

Mary Margaret chuckled a bit as she closed the door all the way and locked it. "Oh please let this be a good thing." She said to herself as she leaned against the door for a moment. She then decided to go to the diner instead of eat in.

When she got there, the diner was buzzing around. She looked around and saw none other than Norma Winston. Now, Norma Winston was one person that she never really knew before Emma came to town, but after she did, and after the blonde fell in love with the old lady, Mary Margaret had no choice but to enjoy her company as well. She walked over to her, "Hello Miss Norma, can I join you?" The old woman nodded, "How are you this evening?"

"Oh I'm fine dear." She looked behind her, "The sheriff not joining you?"

"No… She's… she's actually going to the mayor's for dinner…"

Norma's eyes lit up, "You don't say?"

Mary Margaret smiled and nodded, "Yeah, she said something about the Mayor thanking her for tree and something or someone named Benjamin…?"

Norma only smirked as a response.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma walked up the steps to the door of the mansion. She knocked on the door versus ringing the bell.

The door opened to Regina in this deep red, sleeveless dress that cut just above the knee, and pearls that hung just a couple inches over the neckline of the dress. Her lips were painted the same color as her dress and they heightened the white, straight teeth that came out when she smiled, "Hello Sheriff."

Emma had to close her eyes a moment, "Madam Mayor…" She smiled as Regina stepped aside and let her in. She took in a whiff of the house and almost had to sprawl on the floor and hug the tile, "Roast?" She asked completely surprised, "Don't those take hours to cook?"

"It's been on for a while." She admitted.

Emma smirked, "Do you secretly love me?" She laughed, "Because you have to secretly love me to put on a roast hours before and let me think that I had made the decision to come here tonight…"

"What? I—no!" Regina had never been flustered in her life… except when her mother would pin her against a tree or a wall… or mid air.

Emma put her arms up, "I was kidding…" She nudged the older woman and gave her a smile, "But really why would you make a roast on a day that the kid wouldn't be here." She asked as she looked around for a moment and walked towards the kitchen.

The brunette shrugged, "I've always just liked the way a house smells when a roast is on… And since I was going to be alone, I decided I might as well…"

Emma gave her a look as if deciding that her answer was worthy. She nodded once before saying, "Noted."

"What's noted?"

"That you make roast when your lonely… If I smell roast again, I'll come running."

"Because you secretly love me?" Regina threw the words right back in her face.

Emma blushed. She didn't deny it though she didn't confirm it either, "I'll com running because it's roast! It's probably the greatest heart attack—which it is if it's made properly—in the world. I would eat it every damn day… If, you know… I could cook more than frozen and premade foods…"

Regina eyed her, "Figures you don't know how to cook."

"Hey, my parents abandoned me, sorry if I was more concerned with finding out if I was going to get to stay with a family or at a home each night…" She sat in one of the chairs and looked at the other woman.

The brunette looked as if her heart was literally stomped on. It was only a flash in her eyes and she quickly turned to the slow cooker to check the roast.

Emma knit her brows and tilted her head, "Regina?"

"Hm?" She didn't turn around.

"You okay?"

"Fine."

"Did I make you sad?" She stood up, "Is it because you secretly love me and I talked about my bad childhood? Is that why you're all… " She waved her hands around, not coming up with an actual word to say.

Regina had seen the hand motion and turned back to the blonde fully, "I am not all," she mimicked the motion, "Alright?"

Emma silently noted that she neither confirmed nor denied the secret love. She put her hands up in surrender, "Fine." She backed up and sat back at the table.

"This is finished."

"As soon as my ass lands, she tells me." The blonde muttered and started to stand again.

"No, this is my thank you." Regina put her hand up to stop her, "Stay seated, I'll bring it to you."

Emma nodded and gave a cocky, closed-mouth smile, "Don't mind if I do sit on my ass and get served by the queen of Storybrooke." She bit her lip, hoping Regina would take the bait.

"The Queen?"

_Score!_ Emma nodded, not turning to the other woman, "So says our son…"

"Right, of course. Why did I think that you wouldn't bring up my evil-ness."

She quickly finished cutting and serving the roast, potatoes and carrots and set a plate in front of Emma.

Emma looked at Regina as she set to cutting her meat into finer pieces, and she watched and she stopped set her hands on either side of her plate. Emma looked from her hands to her face to see the woman thinking back on something. She looked back at the hand closest to her and, having lost all ability to control herself apparently, she reached out. With her own index finger, she traced from Regina's nail to her knuckle then moved to the middle finger and then back and to her thumb and back to the index once more and the middle again, then the ring and pinky fingers.

"You're not evil." She said as she traced from the woman's pinky to her wrist and back over to her thumb. She looked up as she got to the index once more, "You're not."

"How do you know that?"

"How do you know that the sky is really blue and grass is really green and if your gay? How do you know that one or multiple gods exist? How do you know that Henry isn't not telling the truth?" She looked up to Regina, "We just do. We just believe."

"You think that Henry is telling the truth?"

"I don't think he's crazy." She looked down at her plate and mashed her potatoes and carrots together, knowing that the other woman was waiting for more. She sighed and shoveled some potatoes/carrots and meat onto her fork, "And I don't think your evil." She opened her mouth to force a bite that should be about five down her gullet. "Holy fuck." Her eyes lolled to the back of her head, "This is fucking amazing…" She looked at the other woman, "I mean… pardon all my French, but literally the fucking best fucking dinner I've ever had in my fucking life. Fuck!"

Regina raised her brows, "It all sounds like good English to me…" She gave the blonde a smirk, "I'm glad you like it though…"

"Do you make roast on non-lonely occasions?"

"Yes. It's Henry's favorite, although now I see where he gets it from…" She smirked.

Emma slumped forward, "So he's gonna get the rest, huh?"

Regina laughed… literally flat out laughed, "Of course. He will eat it for lunch tomorrow."

"So… I can't have it?" She shoveled more in her mouth, giving a good impression of a chipmunk.

Regina bit her lip and shook her head, "I think you know the answer to that…"

"But… What if I eat it all tonight?" She looked back at the slow cooker and counter longingly.

"You will not eat an entire roast!"

Emma harrumphed forward, "Fine."

"I mean, my gosh. We still have dessert…"

Emma perked, "Dessert?"

"Chocolate sheet cake and ice cream." The brunette nodded.

"Marry me." Emma said as she looked at the brunette seriously.

"Excuse me?" Regina lifted her head and stared at the blonde.

Emma nodded seriously, "Marry me."

"Why would I do that?"

"So you can kiss me anytime you want." Emma said with a thickened Southern drawl then let the accent go and grinned, "Seriously, so you can cook me food… I'll keep that damn cat out of the tree so hard if you marry me and cook me food; I'll kill the damn thing!" She laughed a little, "I'm also pretty good in other areas that a marriage should focus on…"

"I am not going to marry you." Regina was blushing and shook her head.

"Okay, fine… You won't marry me… yet… I'll settle for calling you girlfriend for a while." _What the hell am I doing? How the hell am I so confident and light? I need to stop… No I shouldn't because this is fricken going somewhere!_

_Why the hell is this appealing to me? What the hell is she doing? She's so cocky all the time… and it's so alluring all the time…_ Regina put her hand to her chest and looked away, _Is that my heart __fluttering__? She…_ The brunette looked back to Emma, "Why would I be your girlfriend?" She asked.

"So that I can kiss you anytime I want." Again Emma thickened a Southern drawl and smiled at the other woman, "Seriously?" She asked showing that she'll really answer the question.

"If you have a serious reason… Though that seems non-existent…"

"I have serious reasons to be with you."

~0~0~0~0~0~

The rest of that night and the next seven days were a blur. Regina didn't ask what the reasons were… and she regretted it.

She didn't go to work on this Friday. She knew she wasn't going to get work done, so she decided to stay home… Something she had never done in the 28 years they had been in Storybrooke.

She was at her apple tree. She saw the claw marks that Benjamin had made… she was sure it was during a tussle with the town sheriff. She smirked a little as she reached up and touched them before turning her attention to the apples.

Her apples were always perfect, but something seemed different about them… Could something be better than perfect? They seemed richer and juicier—just by look!—they were much more enticing than usual. _Hmm…_ She thought as she picked a few.

She heard a twig snap behind her and turned, "Sheriff…?"

"Hey." Emma smiled at her, "Whatchya doing?" She nodded toward the apples held in the brunette's arm.

"I was going to bake."

"Bake?" Emma asked, "Pie?"

Regina smiled and nodded, "Maybe an apple cake as well."

The blonde's eyes lit up, "Can I help?"

"Didn't you tell me that you didn't know how to cook?"

"Yes… But I'm excellent at doing what I'm told."

"Ha!" Regina turned around to her, giving her a pointed look, "You are anything but obedient."

Emma chuckled, "Alright, fine. I deserve that… But I'm excellent at doing what I'm told when I want to be told what to do… Come on! I wanna help!"

Regina stared the blonde down, "Why?"

"Because at least I'll get to be around you for a little bit…" She mumbled.

"Excuse me?"

"Because I wanna learn."

Regina knit her brows and turned back to the tree, "How did you know where to find me?"

"I went to your office and your secretary told me you took the day off… So I came here."

"Why?" The brunette picked one more apple and turned to her, and when all she got was a shrug, the started for the house.

"I have my reasons." Emma said loud enough for the brunette to hear before she started in after her.

Once inside the kitchen, she found Regina rolling up her sleeves. The brunette looked to her, "This isn't going to turn into a week ago is it?"

"What happened a week ago?"

"You had reasons then as well." She said quietly as she grabbed flour and sprinkled it on her work surface.

Emma grinned as she walked close to the mayor and leaned her hip against the counter. She bit her lip as she watched Regina's hands then looked up to her face. Brown eyes met hazel after trying to refuse. Emma grinned once more, "Do you want it to turn into a week ago?"

The brunette turned away quickly and started into the fridge to get the ingredients for the crust of the pie. Emma followed her and got as close as a person can without touching.

Regina felt the sheriff's heat and had to put the stick of butter back. She closed her eyes and took in a silent, ragged breath.

"Answer the question." Emma breathed.

"I don't want to."

"Why?"

"Because then I'll know the reasons."

"You think the reasons are bad?"

"I like to agree with Orwell when he says that ignorance is bliss."

Emma laughed—outright laughed at that explanation, "You are so fucked up." She took the brunette's wrist, turned her around, and kicked the door shut.

"You're one to talk."

Emma smiled a genuine smile at her, "We should date."

"Sheriff Swan!" Regina pushed her back, re-opened the fridge and grabbed the butter once more.

"Mayor Mills!" Emma said in the same tone and trapped her against the counter, "Give me one good reason you shouldn't be my girlfriend?"

"Henry." Regina turned to the blonde and gave the blonde a superior look, "Give me one good reason we should."

Emma grinned, "Henry."

Regina rolled her eyes, "Henry is not a good reason to be together."

"He's not a good reason to not be together either."

"I'm not doing this." She tried to turn back around.

"Yes. Regina, you are." She pressed into the woman, effectively pinning her, giving her arms a break, "I can list you off a bunch of reasons we should be together and you can list ten for every one I give that we shouldn't. I know that. I know that the odds are not likely and I know that Henry is a major factor to consider here." She sighed when Regina closed her eyes and turned her head as far from her as possible, "Look at me please?"

"Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"This? Trying to… to be with me… Trying to woo me. Why?"

"Because I've never wanted anything so much in my life. The only thing I've ever wanted was a family…" She took in a ragged breath, "And I really think I could have that with my son and his mother."

"You only want me because I adopted him. What you feel isn't real—"

Emma grabbed Regina's hand and put over her heart, "You do this to me every time I see you… Hell, you do this to me when you're across town and I let my mind slip into daydreams…"

Regina looked up to the blonde, "Why do you want to be with me?"

"I told you I've always wanted a family—"

"Why do you want to be with _me_." The brunette looked pleadingly into the blonde's hazel-grey orbs.

Emma tilted her head and leaned in towards Regina's ear so she would be sure that the brunette caught it all, "Because you make my heart go bomp, bomp, bomp. Because I'm the savior and you need saving. Because you are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Because I can read you like a children's bedtime story. Because you rile me up with your bitchiness…" She chuckled softly, "Because I can do the same to you. Because I can't imagine my life without you now that I've met you. Because everything you do makes me fall in love with you even more. Because you really are sorry. Because you really love our son. Because I really love you… no so secretly anymore…" She pulled away and gauged Regina's reaction.

Regina just stood their with what seemed like a concerned look on her face, but Emma could read her like a children's bedtime story. She saw the look in the woman's eyes and saw the battle and fear she was holding in.

Emma took Regina's cheek in her hand, "Give me a chance, Regina." She pleaded.

Regina was pulled from her thoughts and stared at those hazel-green orbs once more. She subtly nodded and barely whispered out the word, "Okay."

Emma gave a half smile, "Okay?" When Regina nodded again, Emma's half smile grew full and bright, "Regina Maria…" She smirked at Regina's reaction, "Will you go out to dinner with me tonight?"

Regina took in a ragged breath, "Can I just… cook? I'd prefer not to… I'd prefer—"

"Not to go out in public until you're sure." Emma nodded, "So, if you're going to cook, can our date just start now? Since I'm helping bake and all?"

Regina swallowed the lump that had gathered in her throat and nodded, "The date can start now…"

It took twice as long to bake everything with Emma's help. Regina almost lost her temper once or twice, but Emma gave her those puppy eyes and everything was forgiven… and Regina would have to mend whatever Emma broke or messed up.

Regina did insist on making their dinner by herself.

"Where's the kid?" Emma asked as she realized the evening hour.

"He had soccer practice and then he was spending the night at Nicholas's… He asked you for permission first… in front of my face…?"

Emma chuckled, "Oh, yeah…" She continued her laugh for a moment, "That was funny."

Regina gave her a look.

"I mean, that was inappropriate of me to answer for you…" She pursed her lips off to the side and looked around for a moment, "So, we have the place to ourselves?"

"We have the place to ourselves." Regina nodded as she walked from putting their dinner in the over to standing in front of the blonde, "Living room?" She gestured.

Emma nodded and followed along, "Can we have pie now?"

"Then what will you have for dessert?"

"More pie and some cake…?" Emma gave her a look that told her how obvious her answer was.

The brunette shook her head, "No."

"Oh fine." She said and settled back.

Regina was about to reach for the remote when they both heard a meow on the porch. They turned around to see Benjamin. Benjamin seemed to lock eyes with Emma before he smirked—Emma would swear on her own life that that damn cat had the ability to smirk—and took off toward Regina's tree.

"You stupid fucking cat!" Emma pushed from the couch and hauled ass outside after the cat.

Regina went to the back porch to watch the Tom & Jerry—or in this case Emma and Tom chase through her yard. She pursed her lips when she saw the blonde leap for a branch to start climbing. She walked back inside, still looking at the tree and the human and cat inside it as she grabbed her phone and dialed.

"Mrs. Winston, this is the mayor… I need you to come get your cat now… No, the sheriff is in the tree… Yes, but—…. Yes, but she's allergic—… The sheriff and I were in the middle of—" Regina glared at the phone as a dial tone came, "You bitch." Her jaw jut to the side as she stared a moment longer before hanging the phone up.

She walked down after Emma seemed to be coming down cat in her arms, mid-sneeze. "Got him!" She said victoriously before sneezing again.

Regina quickly took him from her, "If you scratch me or do anything aside from sit in my arms, I will end you." She whispered to the cat once she had a firm grip. "Sheriff, why don't you go home and shower and change real quick? Dinner is still a while away and I don't want you to be sneezing all night." She gave the blonde a flirtatious look which had Emma running for her car.

"I'll be back in twenty minutes!" Emma called as she got in then punched it down the street.

Regina walked the cat over to Norma Winston's. When the old woman answered the door, Regina threw the cat inside and gave him a warning look, "If he goes near my tree again, I will let the sheriff fire at him, which she has tried to do before."

Norma only smiled, "Mayor Mills, you seem to be in a good, playful mood… What's got you so uppity?"

"Nothing."

"Is it the sheriff? I saw her car outside your house on my way home… It's been there a while…"

"Miss Norma, I have no idea what you're talking about." She tried to play dumb.

This made Norma laugh, "Oh you two are just like me and Gus, God rest his soul." She gave the brunette almost a reminiscent look, "Listen to me, young lady…" She pulled on Regina's forearm to bring her in as if she were going to give the brunette the secret to life, "Once you got them climbing trees to keep cats out, you got them for life. And, it's okay to be happy Madam Mayor… A lot of times it doesn't work, but that doesn't mean you stop… It means you keep going to you find the one that does… And the sheriff and you, Madam Mayor… You work…" She took a breath and sighed, still holding onto Regina's arm, "I think someday soon is hear, Regina."

Regina pulled back a little, "Excuse me?"

"I told you a while ago that someday soon you would understand? I'll bet you Benjamin's life that you understand."

Regina smirked a bit and leaned in, "You'll try anything to keep that damn cat alive… It's got to die sometime, Norma."

"Maybe so, but he's still going strong… And he'll stay going strong because I won the bet."

Regina smiled at the old woman—only Norma Winston would be able to make her smile sincerely… Norma, Henry and Emma. She nodded, "You did win the bet, Miss Norma." She backed away a few steps, "I have to go; the oven's on."

"Well, don't let me keep you, dear… But make sure to change your clothes… The sheriff is allergic to pet dander."

Regina only waved behind her as she walked on to her house. She ran upstairs took a quick shower, took off her make-up, brushed back her wet hair put some product in to keep it styled after her hair dried and put on the most casual clothes she owned aside from pajamas: a nice pair of jeans and a three-quarter length fitted, worn baseball t-shirt with black sleeves. She was just putting on some black ankle socks when the bell rang. She smiled….SMILED!...as she walked down the stairs to the front door.

Emma stared at her slack-jawed as she looked at the woman that answered the door.

"Sheriff?" Regina asked after she took in the usual skinny jeans and that damn green button up that was too large for her, but fit so well at the same time.

"Mayor?" Emma finally collected herself.

"Are you going to come in?"

Emma nodded.

She walked in and from that night on, everything changed for the both of them.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Regina was wrong… ignorance is not bliss. She understood that thanks to Norma and Benjamin… that damn cat. It had been about four months of lying very, very low before Emma told the brunette that she was going to burst if she couldn't go on a real date with her.

So, as Henry went to his session, Regina and Emma went to the nicest restaurant in town and had an early dinner. Then, after picking Henry up, they went to Granny's to get him fed and have dessert.

Norma was in the diner talking to Ruby and Mary Margaret when the three of them walked in, "Well, well. Look who it is. Sheriff Swan, Mayor Mills in their son."

Emma walked over to the old lady, "Hey Miss Norma." She kissed her cheek, "How's Benjamin? I haven't seen him in a while."

Norma smiled, "He knows when he's not needed anymore, Sheriff. He knows when people finally understand."

"Well… The mayor and myself understand _completely._" she gave the old woman a smile and kissed her cheek once more, before whispering, "Thank you Miss Norma."

"Oh don't thank me… This time it's on Benjamin."

"What's on Benjamin?" Ruby asked.

"Someday soon… You might understand." Norma gave the waitress a cheeky smile.


End file.
